We used to gripe about too many Mexican restaurants along Lafayette’s main drag. But the flavor of Public Road has evolved, the warm tastes and fragrances of Asia replacing the tang of pico de gallo and green chile.

Udon Kaisha Japanese Noodle and Sushi is the newest to open, taking a slim space in a strip mall at the corner of South Public and South Boulder roads where diners can choose between a Chinese buffet, a pho shop and a Thai joint and get a foot massage after dinner.

Open since April 1, the menu at Udon Kaisha is equal parts sushi and cuisine that comes hot from the kitchen — think fat udon noodles and thin ramen, pan-fried or swimming in tangy shoyou or miso broth, tempura, tonkatsu and teriyaki. Portions are generous and prices kind to the pocketbook — so long as you don’t let yourself get carried away with the specialty sushi roll menu. Which we did, because who can resist trying things like the Action Item and Las Vegas rolls (about $12)?

The traditional sushi/sashimi/maki menu is filled with reliably fresh and affordable items ($3-5). Try the crispy vegetarian sweet potato roll ($4) for a change of pace.

Udon Kaisha stands out with the cooked dishes, too. We sampled shoyu udon noodle soup, a big bowl of dark broth studded with fish cake, spinach and green onion, and two crispy tempura shrimp hanging off the edge ($7), chicken ramen teppan yaki, a pan-fried toss of meat, Napa cabbage, bean sprouts, carrots and onions ($8). The Japanese fried tofu ($4) — a block of firm silken tofu dusted with potato starch and lightly fried, and served in a slick of sweet-tangy tentsuyu sauce and sprinkled with thin-sliced scallion — took us into new culinary territory and was delicious.

The service at Udon Kaisha is cheerful and informative, and the kitchen is skilled and accommodating, even willing to make to make a rice and seaweed-only roll for little kids just learning to like the new flavors in town.

The Senior Editor for News at The Denver Post and a Colorado native, Dana Coffield has worked at news organizations of all sizes, including the Rocky Mountain News, the Associated Press bureaus in Denver and Cheyenne, weekly general interest and business publications in Boulder and Larimer counties and at the Daily Times-Call in Longmont. She has also worked as a business editor at technology and natural products trade magazines.